


Promises

by Theophila



Category: Gyakuten Kenji | Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: Father-Daughter Relationship, Promises, Upbringing, moral support
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-22
Updated: 2012-01-22
Packaged: 2017-10-29 23:16:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/325250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theophila/pseuds/Theophila
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edgeworth is surprised when Kay presents him with her promise book and asks him to sign it for her. It seems actions truly speak louder than words as he reflects on the circumstances that brought them to this moment...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Promises

“Mr. Edgeworth!”

The familiar voice broke the silence of Miles Edgeworth’s office, jolting him to awareness of where he stood. A chess piece rolled off the table, having been knocked over in his surprise as he had gone to reach for a knight to move, attempting to counter a confrontation he had put into play last time he had a chance to look at it.

 _Silence may be golden,_ he thought, _but like glass, it seems to be easily shattered._

“So, I was thinking about what you said before,” the voice babbled on cheerily as Miles looked up at the culprit who had indelicately interrupted the peace. Kay Faraday was brandishing something that looked like a notepad and beaming brightly. How, he wondered, could anybody be so energetic? “And it kind of made a lot of sense and—“

“Hold it!” Miles held up his hand to stem the bubbling stream of words. “You were thinking about what I said before? Might I ask what you refer to, Kay?”

“Well…” Kay paused a second, seeming slightly uncertain. “You remember two days ago, right? When I was chasing the Yatagarasu at the Babahlese Embassy?”

Miles frowned. He certainly remembered: how could he forget defending Kay’s innocence with scant evidence to exonerate her?

“You told me after… that it’s good to conduct some self-reflection now and then…” She went on, looking at her notepad.

Miles nodded. He had been incredibly worried during the ordeal, and had later reprimanded her for her lack of consideration and recklessness. Kay had offered contrition and the promise to be more careful, earning her his gentle praise and words of advice.

“So, when I got home after everything that happened,” Kay continued, “and I saw the promise book I made with my daddy all those years ago, it made me think about what you said and…” She offered the notebook to Miles, looking up at his surprised expression. “I thought perhaps if I made some promises to you…”

“Are you prepared to keep those promises?” Miles quirked a brow as he took the notebook to read.

“Mr. Edgeworth!” Kay pouted, “Of course I intend to keep my promises! I may be the Great Thief Yatagarasu, but I am _not_ without honour!”

“Be aware of to whom you are speaking,” was the sole response Miles could muster as he opened the book to the set of promises Kay had bookmarked. He noted with interest that they followed on from the promises she had once written to her father, and that they had been highly decorated with curls and small flowers, coloured in fluorescent ink.

Tearing his gaze away from the illustrations, Miles’ eyes followed the surprisingly tidy handwriting as he read through the promises Kay had written.

 

 _“Dear Mr. Edgeworth,_

 _I) I promise to look before I leap._

 _II) I promise to reflect on my words and actions._

 _III) I promise to seek after only the truth._

 _IV) I promise that I will be honest at all times._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Kay Faraday.”_

 _  
_

“Kay,” Miles looked up from the page to the young lady standing before him. “I am… touched… by your consideration.”

Kay nodded, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. “I was hoping you would sign them for me, Mr. Edgeworth. Like my daddy did with the original set.”

A warm blush coloured Miles’ features. So, what she had said at the embassy had been true: _“when I talk to you, it’s like I’m talking with my father.”_ It wasn’t a matter of his age, he supposed: in addition, perhaps his words and actions had played a role in her views.

 _How do I respond to a request such as that?_ Miles wondered. _How do I follow Mr. Faraday’s addition to the promise book?_

“If you don’t mind, Kay,” Miles said slowly, thinking carefully about how to reply. “Would it be alright to hold on to this for the time being until I am able to formulate a meaningful response to your promises?”

“Sure!” Kay’s cheerful energy seemed to have returned, and she was once again foraging in her bag for some item, and then smiled as she presented a small, plastic-wrapped package. “I bought swiss rolls on the way in – I thought we could share them!”

Miles could only smile, proceeding to prepare a pot of tea for two.

***

The enjoyment of tea and cake had been swiftly curtailed by a report from Gumshoe regarding a missing person and a new case. Kay had enthusiastically nearly dragged Miles out the door to investigate, much to his chagrin. Loathe although he was to admit it, the tea would have to wait for another interval of peace and quiet.

Sitting in his office later that evening, Miles glanced over at Kay, who had passed out on his couch. Gumshoe had lent his coat as a blanket, and Miles had dimmed the lights so the only light was from the lamp on his desk. In her sleep, Kay rubbed her nose and shifted slightly under the coat, but didn’t awaken. It had been, all things considered, a very difficult week – Miles could not blame her for falling asleep in his office.

Something caught the light of his lamp, directing his attention back to his desk. Kay’s promise book sat separate from the papers relating to the case, still awaiting his signature. He had since completed the appropriate paperwork for the evidence to be used in the following day’s trial, and all that remained was to tidy away into his files. Perhaps, he thought, now might be the ideal time to address the promises Kay had made.

Opening the book at the promises she had originally made to her father, he read over the words that had been written in a painstakingly tidy manner by a very young Kay:

 

 _“I promise not to take anything from strangers._

 _I promise not to go anywhere with strangers._

 _I promise not to cry in front of strangers.”_

 _  
_

The sum of the promises seemed to be self-reliance, safety and dignity, Miles thought as he re-read them, remembering Kay’s hesitance those ten years ago, to reveal that she had broken one of them – and attempting not to break another. He sighed. Her tears had been entirely permissible, given the circumstances… her father, surely, would have understood…

Miles’ eyes fell onto the different style of penmanship, written in the same ink, by Kay’s father, Byrne Faraday. A simple message about keeping rules and his duty to help her keep them, he asked her to keep her promises, to be a good girl, and signed off with a message of love.

Kay’s words from two days ago played again in his mind… “I’m sorry, Mr. Edgeworth…” She had stared at her feet, blushing. Nonetheless, he had found himself gently resting a comforting hand on her shoulder, providing gentle advice to keep her from sinking in her sorrow. “It’s funny,” she had told him, “when I talk to you… it’s like I’m talking with my father.” He had wondered about that at the time, but now…

Turning to read the new set of promises, Miles reflected on that moment, mulling over what he had read from Byrne Faraday’s response, before picking up his pen to sign Kay’s words with promises of his own.

 

“Dear Kay,” He started.

“Both our fathers were men who ensured that the law was upheld, and that rules were kept.” He paused, thinking, before adding, “It is my duty to uphold these same laws and pursue the perfect truth, ensuring that justice is served.”

“With this in mind, it is my honour to oversee your observance of these promises.”

Miles resisted the urge to rest his pen on the page, lest the ink stain it, while he decided upon a promise he could likewise aspire to, something to help Kay and… he supposed, provide her with moral support and inspiration. 

“In turn,” he added, “I promise to guide and help you in these promises, and I promise to assist in your pursuit of the truth.”

“You are a good girl, Kay, and I trust you. Let us uphold our fathers' legacies together.”

With a smile, Miles read over his response to ensure there was nothing else he could add to that, before finally signing the book to seal their agreement.

 

“Respectfully yours…”

“ _Miles Edgeworth_.”


End file.
